


Strung Along

by faultymindpalace



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, High School AU, bestfriends au, teenage angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-03 03:57:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15810858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faultymindpalace/pseuds/faultymindpalace
Summary: Steve Rogers was minding his own business when Darcy Lewis decided to sit with him in lunch. A friendship strikes and she strings him along and brings him out of his shell.





	Strung Along

High school. The worst thing to happen in all of humankind. He always scoffed at the movies Bucky’s sister forced him to watch with her. He never believed that there were a strict status quo. 

Steve laughs at Mean Girls, causing Becca to punch him in the arm, just for him to shut up. There is no such thing as the loser table.

Well, not until now. 

Steve pierces a fork through his mashed potatoes. It’s tasteless and pudgy and at this point, eating it is almost automatic. He could hear Bucky’s laughter ringing across the large cafeteria. He sits on the middle table. The Cool Kids table, if Becca has anything to say about it. 

Ever since he transferred from the other competing highschool in the district, everyone has been mooning over him. When he managed to make the school football team win the championship game against his old school, everyone practically fell in love with him. 

But Steve knows who he is, a selfish, unfunny, sarcastic jerk. And fuck him for leaving Steve to fend for himself.

“Hey.” Someone slams their tray table to the table with a loud bang. 

Steve looks up at his mash potato mess to see a girl. Against his better judgement, his cheeks start to heat up, not with her smile lighting up her face. 

“Can I sit?” She asks. Steve pries his gaze away from her bright blue eyes and stares back at his mashed potatoes. 

“I’m Darcy.” The girl says, holding her hand out once she sat down. Steve swallows and takes her hand. It’s so soft. He cringes when he could feel his calluses rubbing her soft palm. 

“Steve.” He says. They shake hands once and she withdraws her hand. Steve presses his hands on his shorts, noticing that he’s starting to sweat. 

“You in my year.” Darcy says, scooping beans into her mouth. Steve nods, not wanting to say anything embarrassing. He could still remember the blind date Bucky and Natasha set him up with. He blabbered so much with Sharon that she had to fake a call with her mother.  

“You okay back there bud?” She calls him. “You look redder than a tomato.” 

“Nah. I’m fine.” Steve coughs out. 

“You sure? Don’t pass out on me Steve.” She says, giggling. Steve manages to look up from his tray table and see that she’s blushing too. It calms him a little, knowing that she’s a little flustered as he is. 

This isn’t even a date. Damn it. 

“So you’re in my year? Didn’t think we have any classes together.” He says, swallowing whatever anxiety he has. 

“Nah we do. You just don’t notice me.” She says. Her voice is high and somewhat nasally. If she ever spoke in class, he would recognize the voice. 

“A pretty girl like you? I’d notice you.” He says, silently blessing the gods, and Darcy chokes on her tater tots. 

“Holy fuck are you okay?” Steve grabs his napkins and hands it to her. She swallows her potatoes and there are tears in her eyes. Steve thinks she’s about to cry but then she starts laughing. Steve starts laughing too and once Darcy calms down there’s a sparkle in her eyes and he knew, right then and there, he was a goner. 

* * *

“Saw you talking to Lewis during lunch. Seemed like you both had a grand old time.” Bucky announces his presence, leaning against the locker next to his. Steve shuffles his folders and notebooks to his ragged knapsack. 

“Yeah well, she’s good company. Can’t say the same for you.” Steve muttered out and shut his locker. He only had five minutes to biology and he can’t be late. The professor has a soft spot on him sure but he’s still has a thing for tardiness. 

“Hey punk.” Bucky wrapped his arm around his shoulders. The height difference making it easier. Steve ignored the wolf whistles or the teases people were making at them as they walked. 

“You know you could just sit with me and the team.” He says, half dragging Steve’s torso through the halls. Steve tried to shrug him off but he’s too strong. 

“Yeah because I fit in so well.” He drawls. Bucky chuckles. 

“Of course you would, sarcasm is always welcomed in my table.” 

“Your table. What are you? King of the school?” Bucky scoffs. 

“Nah, if someone’s a king, that would be Thor.” Steve rolls his eyes, remembering the jovial foreign exchange student from Norway. 

They reach Steve’s classroom and Bucky is still hovering in the doorway. They’ve still got a few minutes left. 

“Hang out with us. Lewis can hang out too if you want to spend more time with her than your childhood bestfriend.” Bucky clutches his chest and Steve is ready to punch him where it hurts. Steve never abandoned him, in fact, it was the other way around. 

A girl shuffle pasts them and Steve recognizes that it’s Darcy, clutching her books to her chest. 

“Hey Lewis!” Bucky calls out. Darcy looks behind her and she narrows her eyes at Bucky. 

“Hey asswipe.” She says without any venom. Steve looks up and sees that Bucky’s smile grew wider, crinkling the sides of his eyes. 

She nudges Steve’s sleeves and he catches her staring at him. 

“You going in or?” She jerks her thumb behind her and only then does Bucky release his arm over Steve. 

“See you later punk.”

“Jerk.” 

* * *

“Hey, sorry about Bucky.” He says shuffling to his seat on the second row to the front. Darcy waves him off, telling him they’ll talk later. It’s then that he notices that she sits way off in the back. 

She flashes him a smile and he returns it. The bell rings and the professor walks in. Throughout the period though, he could feel the heat of her gaze in the back of his neck. 

From that moment on, he notices everything about her. 

* * *

She’s friends with Jane Foster, who is Thor’s girlfriend. That’s why she drags him, by the arm, to their table. 

“Are you sure about this?” he asks her. She has that gleam in her eye, a mischievous spark that always means trouble. It’s like that time she took him past his mother’s curfew, roller skating through the park and drinking spiked cherry colas she brought from home, or the time that she dared him to climb the tallest tree in the park to get shimmy her paper kite down like she was still six years old. In that time, Steve knew, he can’t say no to her. 

Except for this. 

“What’s the worst that could happen?” He could hear the laughter in her voice. 

“I don’t know! I’ll embarrass myself.” She snorts. She does it whenever she smells bullshit. 

“I’ve seen you dangling from a branch by your trousers.” She deadpans. Steve plants his feet on the ground and wrangles his arms. 

“I’m not doing this Darcy.” Darcy takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. 

“Fine. Steve. Do what you want.” She trudges off and falls in line. Steve marches up to her and takes his own tray. 

“Look. Darce. I’m not the friendliest of persons.” Steve starts. Darcy nods her head and takes a scoop of something that resembles as beef. 

“I know that.” She says. “But you’ll like them. I promise.” She’s still not looking at him. 

“Look. If you want to spend time with them you can. I totally understand.” Not like Steve is jealous. He’s not the jealous type. Steve understands the concept of friends having other friends. 

“Yeah but like, we can hang out with them together.” Darcy says. Paying the cashier. 

“I’m perfectly fine on my own.” Darcy looks back at him, her face scrunching as she thinks. 

“Look doll, I’m not some charity case. If you want to hang out with your friends that’s perfectly fine with me.

“Okay Steve. But you owe me.” She says but Steve doesn’t tell her that she owes him too. 

* * *

Steve doesn’t understand why Darcy hangs out with him, ever since she sat down with him, which she never really explained. 

“Why are you so shocked that someone wants to talk to you?” Steve shrugged his shoulders. 

“I mean, look at me.” He waved his hands on his sweater, that almost swallows his skinny shoulders and narrow frames. 

“Yeah, and?” Then the bell rang and she shuffled through the hallways, muttering ‘see you later’. 

Darcy isn’t an angel though, Steve has noticed. She cuts class. Strings stories out of nothing just to save her ass. He hears the gossip that flitter through the nameless students in this school. 

_ She sleeps around.  _

_ You heard? She’s a homewrecker.  _

_ She’s hanging around with Foster. She’s only doing that so she could get on Thor’s dick.  _

_ Homewrecker.  _

_ Slut.  _

Steve’s anger almost topples over when the insult bounces around his skull. He slams the locker, enough to make it shake. 

“Someone’s angry.” Bucky is leaning against, looks at him with his smirk and hooded eyes. 

“Someone’s about to be punched.” Steve says through gritted teeth. 

“Wooh. I’m quaking in my boots.” He waves his hands, chuckling. 

“Quaking. Big word.” Bucky ruffles his hair. Steve huffs. “Stop that.” 

Bucky wraps his arms around his shoulders again, walking to the field. The day’s done and Bucky’s about to go to the field for practice. 

“Look, Steve. I have nowhere to go and no one to meet. How about you and me go the Mcdonalds? Hmmm? Becca is at some babysitting job.”

Steve looks out onto the field and where all of Bucky’s teammates and other athletes are congregating. Cheerleaders do their routines on the sidelines and stragglers stay on the bleachers, either watching or staying in their own world. 

“Yeah. Sure.” Bucky grins and a warm sense of familiarity creeps up at him. 

“Text you later.” Bucky starts running to his team when Coach Fury started shouting for him. Steve gives him a small wave. His eyes go back to the bleachers and he sees Darcy sitting with Jane. She raises her eyebrows at him, as if daring him to come and sit with her. Steve smirks at her direction but shrugs his shoulders. He walks back inside the school, he still has some unfinished sketches at the studio he’d like to work on. 

* * *

Steve sits in the park, sketching the ducklings waddling through the grass. He hears soft footsteps. She sits beside him, the smell of her mango shampoo, wafting through his nostrils. 

“Nice.” She says. She rifles through a paper bag and gives him a breakfast burrito. 

“I didn’t…” He starts to say. Darcy also has this weird fixation of feeding him. He always turns it down but Darcy would say, 

“It’s fine. Really. Take it.” 

“Darcy, I told you. You can’t just…”

“When’s the last time you ate?” she spat back at him. Steve couldn’t say. He’s been sitting in this park since high noon and now it’s four in the afternoon. 

“Fine. Hit me.” He opens his palm for the burrito but she punches me in the shoulder. 

“Ah!” Both of them yelped in pain. 

“Your bones! Damn!” She shakes her hands. Steve hisses as he rubs his arm. Steve reaches over for the breakfast burrito and tears the foil. Darcy takes the sketchbook of his lap. Darcy wipes her greasy hands on her denim jeans and flips a few pages. Steve starts to choke when he realizes that she’s only a few pages from seeing his sketches of her. 

“These are good.” She says. “You applying for art schools?” She places it back gently on his laps. 

“Yeah because I can clearly make a career out of drawings.” Steve says, repeating his mother’s views on his passion. 

“A lot of people have made a career out of drawings.” 

“People with money.” Steve huffs out, spraying rice. 

“Scholarships exist.” Darya replies, shrugging her shoulders. She places his sketchbook down and leans down onto the grass, stretching her limbs. Steve tries to keep his gaze forward, even when her shirt and denim shorts ride up to expose creamy skin. 

“How about you? You thinking ‘bout the future?” he asks, wiping sriracha off his lips. 

She shrugs again. 

“Nah. More of an in-the-now kind of girl.” Steve wants to capture the way the sunlight filters through the leaves, making lines of light across Darcy’s face. He won’t ask her to pose though. He did once, all she said was: 

“You only draw beautiful girls Steve. The pretty thin ones with great tits.” Steve tries to tell her that the painted women hung in the great museums aren’t skinny and thin. (Although Steve almost let slip that she has amazing breasts too.) 

Darcy’s voice pulls him back to reality. 

“Probably get pregnant with a deadbeat boyfriend and work in the mall. That’s what my mother used to say when she gets....” Steve clicks his tongue. Darcy raises her eyes to him, raising a brow. He shakes his head and lowers himself down to the itchy grass. 

They lie side by side, arms touching, fingers almost lacing together. 

“That’s not going to happen.” Steve says, his eyes trying to convey enough meaning to get through her thick skull. 

She smiles. A small smile and his heart skips a beat. He doesn’t notice that he was staring at her lips for far too long. He does notice the tip of her tongue, licking it for a millisecond. Steve could feel his heartbeat in his ears but Darcy looks away, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

“You heard of the rumors?” She stutters out, eyes fluttering. “Jones bets that I won’t make it past the town.” Steve shuffles to his side, fully facing her profile. He rests his head on his elbow. 

“Why do you listen to those rumors?” He asks, not for the first time. 

Again, she shrugs her shoulders. 

“Wanted to know if they’re right about me.” She says. A spike of anger runs through Steve for a moment, making him gasp. That just doesn’t make any sense.

“Well they’re wrong about you.” Darcy fixes him with a stare, quietly challenging him. Steve responds with full force. Darcy agreeing with everyone is talking about her, when in fact she’s one of the best people he’s ever met. Ridiculous. 

“What makes you say that?” Darcy replies but her voice is smaller, almost a whisper. Her eyes leaves his, focusing back on the dancing leaves above them. 

“Because I know you.” Steve says. “I won’t be hanging around you if I don’t like you.” 

Darcy snorts. 

“Steve you don’t hang out with anyone.” 

“Exactly. I don’t hang out with just anyone.” He rolls on his back and suddenly, Darcy snuggles up to him, laying her head on his chest for almost a minute. Steve couldn’t move, almost forgetting how to breathe. 

“Thanks Steve.” She says, her voice muffled by his jacket. Slowly, he wraps an arm around her.

“Anything for you, doll.” 

 

* * *

Steve drops his books in front of Darcy, making her squeak in surprise. 

“You were right. I change my mind.” Darcy rests her chin on her fist, smiling smugly. Her black rimmed glasses slide down her nose. 

“Of course I’m right. I’m always right.” Darcy says. Steve sits down and starts opening his book for the homework due tomorrow. 

“Wait, what am I right about?” Darcy says. Steve sighs. 

“Thor’s a great guy.” He mumbles. Darcy narrows his eyes at him. 

“What did he do? Bucky wasn’t there to save you from the bullies?” Steve glares at Darcy but she only laughs and rolls her eyes. Her hand slides across the table and gives his a squeeze. His eyes looks at her small soft hand, on top of his also small but calloused hand. He shakes his head and raises his hands to rub at his eyes. 

Darcy was never touchy feely. If she could wear long sleeves, leggings, and gloves all year long she would’ve.

“We got partnered up during woodshop.” Darcy nods. “Man, that dude could wield a hammer.” He mutters. 

“Yeah. You should see him with an axe.” Darcy says and Steve tilts his head to the side. 

“What? Does he live in the back woods?” 

“Nah. Dad’s rich actually. Gives Stark a run for his money.” She says. 

“Then how did he manage to end up here in bumfuck nowhere.” 

“Beats me. Says he fell from some rainbow bridge but I think he was still high at the time.” 

Steve makes a noncommittal sound and peers back onto his books. He glares at the small letters as if they could give him the answers to his problems.

* * *

Steve loves it when Darcy’s face lights up. He even loves it more when he’s the reason behind it. 

“Ugh. Finally. You need more friends Rogers.” Darcy says leading him to her table, with Jane and Thor already waiting. 

“You’re the only one I need doll.” He says, making Darcy stop and blush. Did he also mention that he likes it when he makes her blush?

“Then what am I? Chopped liver?” Bucky slaps him in the back, making him lurch forward. 

“Hey jerk.” Steve says in greeting. 

“Punk.” 

“Asswipe.”

“Lewis.” 

“Steven!” Thor shouts, more like bellows, out into the room. “Dine with us.” He says, throwing his arm around the empty benches. Steve nods his head and sit beside him. Darcy walks around, gives his shoulder a squeeze and sits beside Jane. The two started talking about nothing and everything all at the same time. Bucky sat on his right. 

“Hey Thor, s’alright that I sit with you guys?” He says beaming at him. 

“Of course. All is welcome in my table.” He says, forking fried chicken into his mouth. 

“Damn Thor, you make us out like royalty.” Bucky chuckles. 

“That is how he shows affection.” Jane chirps in. 

“Hi. Jane Foster.” She says to Steve and Bucky, giving them a small wave. 

“This is Steve.” Bucky claps his hand on his back. 

“I can speak for myself thank you very much.” Steve mutters. 

“Yeah Barnes. You’re not his mother.” Darcy replies, making Jane giggle into her hand. Steve gives her a smile as thanks. 

“Who died and made you the president of the Steve Rogers Protection Committee?” Bucky says across the end of the table. 

“What is this committee you speak about?” Thor says, biceps bulging as he lifts a napkin to his mouth. “Who is in need of protecting?” 

“Nothing. Thor, it’s just a joke.” Steve starts but Thor is already signing up for shifts in Bucky’s made up committee. 

“Nonsense. Steven, you are an admirable friend, especially a reliable partner in woodshop. I’ll make sure that no harm will come to you.” He says, icy blue eyes turning dark. His eyebrows narrow and he hunches over. As if the thought of Steve getting hurt was a crime against humanity. Steve pretends to hear thunder rumbling in the distance, with the way Thor is brooding. 

“Gee. Thanks.” Steve says, shrinking in the attention his friends are giving. 

“I protect all of my friends. Now, you are one of them.” His face breaks out into a grin. 

“Thanks Thor. It’s an honor.” Steve says and he finds that he actually means it. 

* * *

Darcy can practically ask Steve for the moon and he’ll give it to her one way or the other. But he refuses, downright refuses, to go to this party without her. 

“Darcy, you promised me.” He sighs into the phone. A party in Thor’s house. Everyone’s going. He could probably stick to Bucky’s side all night but he’s too busy flirting anything with legs, not with how his latest breakup with Natasha went. 

“I’m not abandoning you. I’m just telling you that I might be late.” She says. Steve could hear glass breaking in her end and for a moment, panic strikes through him. 

“You okay back there? I can drop by if you want.”

“No!” Darcy shouts. She takes a deep breath. “No, it’s fine. My mom… Just...I’ll meet you there okay? Save me a drink.” Steve grumbles but does what she says anyway. 

* * *

Steve has been nursing his drink for a while now. His hands are starting to get slippery from the way his red solo cup is sweating. He’s been eyeing Natasha and Bucky for the past half hour. Bucky’s on the couch, arm wrapped around Jessica Jones and whispering in her ear. Natasha’s sitting by the window, her leg over Clint Barton’s lap. Steve wonders how long the make-each-other-jealous game lasts. The longest record they had was eight hours and that only ended when Natasha saw Bucky lean in to kiss Peggy Carter on the cheek. 

A hand snakes through his waist and he turns to see Darcy, holding him close. He moves his cup away from her and lets himself be dragged to a hug. 

“Hey.” She greets, muffled by his jacket. 

“Hey yourself.” Steve says. He could smell alcohol on her but he has a feeling that she’s been sober all night. 

Darcy takes a step back and sees the red rim her eyes. She reaches for Steve’s cup and he lets her, thinking she need one for the night. Her face puckers and she makes a gagging noise as she swallows. 

“The fuck Rogers. Is this gasoline?” She says, coughing as she recovers. Steve loops his arm around her shoulders in comfort. No one has been paying them no mind. All their mutual friends (and her friends) are too busy with the party. Steve doesn’t mind. He’s only come for her anyway. 

But he doesn’t say that out loud. 

“Thought I’d have only one drink tonight. Tried to make it count.” Steve says. He doesn’t want to acknowledge the fact that Darcy is leaning on to him, replacing her arm back on his wait. If someone saw them right now, the would look like...well, a couple. 

Steve tried to shake that image away or swallow the hope that bloomed in his chest. 

“I’m going to get a beer.” Darcy announced. She dragged him with her to the table with drinks and fished out a beer from the cooler. Loki, Thor’s brother, hands her a bottle opener. Then he slinks back to the shadows. 

They find a relatively quiet corner but Darcy doesn’t say anything. They merely watch the crowd, just like they always do in school. 

“Natasha is with Clint.” Darcy says, noticing the pair, their faces merely two inches apart. 

“You know her?” 

Natasha is in Bucky’s previous high school but her beauty and her skill is known by the whole district. 

“Of course I do. Do you know how many times Bucky tried to proposition me to be his fake girlfriend to make her jealous?” Steve takes a gulp of his drink, whiskey on ice, and tried to reign his thoughts in. Of course Bucky would try flirt with Darcy. Darcy and Bucky would be perfect each other, actually. They were on the same level. It just made sense if they were together. 

“You didn’t...You didn’t agree with it?” Steve asks, rather shyly. His eyes trained towards his beat up sneakers. He missed Darcy’s eyebrows shooting upwards. 

“Of course not!” She said. Steve winced by how offended she sounded. “Plus. We’ll probably end up killing each other if we started dating.” Darcy added, her voice more toned down. “Or worse,  _ Natasha  _ would kill me. Heard she could strangle a man with her thighs.” She whispered in his ear. 

Her hot breath on his skin made him shiver but he doesn’t want to let it show. 

“Honestly, the one person I’d rather be with is you.” She muttered and Steve whipped his head to look at her. She seemed to catch herself also because she’s staring back at him with wide eyes, ivory cheeks reddening. 

“And you know....Jane and Thor. I...I don’t really want to date you know.” She tried to recover. She withdrew her hand and stepped an inch away from him. Steve took his arm off her and they stood, shoulders awkwardly bumping each other. 

“Yeah. I understand. Especially now that everyone’s choosing where to go after high school. Why tie yourself down?” Steve added, trying to ease the tension. He mentally kicked himself again seeing Darcy crestfallen face. He knows Jane’s leaving town through her scholarship. Thor’s going back to his home country for a while. Bucky is enlisting in the army and truth be told Steve is tempted to go with him. There’s just one thing holding him back. 

“Yeah. What use of a girlfriend would I be if he’ll go off and save the world while I’m stuck here?”  She smiles but there’s only sadness in her eyes. She takes a swig at her beer but starts to chug it down, probably hoping that she could drown in it. 

“You possibly can’t think of your future like that. You’re grades are good. You can apply to…” 

“ _ Money, _ Steve.” She says, shaking her head. This isn’t the first time they’ve talked about this. 

“Scholarships then. Despite what people think your grades  _ are _ good, even better than mine to be honest.” She chuckles, her eyes flitting to his for a moment. 

“Thanks Steve. But like I said, the nearest college that’s actually worth a damn is three hours away. I can’t leave my mother behind.” She says, her tone shifting at that last sentence. Instantly Steve’s eyes furrow. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asks, remembering that he might also leave his mother behind once he enlists. 

“It means that I’m the only one my mother has.” She goes to the table again to get another bottle, Steve hot on his trails. 

“Your mother isn’t even…” Steve starts and Darcy whips her head around, eyes glaring daggers. She waits for Steve to finish his sentence but he doesn’t. Either way, she knows what he’s trying to say. 

“She’s the only one I have left Steve. Of all people, you would know that.” Steve nods his head, offering to open her bottle. She gives it to him and it sizzles and pops. Darcy takes another swig. She fishes out another bottle for good measure. 

“C’mon. We need some air.” She leads him to the backyard where there were some stragglers sharing cigarettes and joints. Someone busted a guitar and started playing showtunes. Darcy sits down on the grass a few feet from the others and Steve follows after. 

“When are you leaving?” She asks, wringing out blades of grass from the ground. Steve sighs and lies down on the ground. She follows after, her head on his shoulders. It’s become a familiar weight to him now, comforting even. He can still smell the faint scent of her shampoo but its overpowered by the brand of cigarettes her mother buys. 

“Due to how late we’re going to graduate, two days after I guess. But I don’t know if I wanna do it.” He says. Darcy snorts but Steve doesn’t reply. Darcy raises herself on her elbows and hovers over him. The moon illuminates her hair, giving her a silver halo while the lights from the house warms her face. Steve doesn’t know if he wants to paint her or kiss her. 

“Yeah right.” Darcy says sarcastically. “You’ve wanted it ever since they offered you to be a part of their program. I can still remember how your face lit up.” She says. Steve stops himself from tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“You remember that?” he says, his throat closing. For a brief moment, his gaze flits to her pouty lips and he starts to weigh the pros and cons of kissing her.

“Of course, how could I forget?” Darcy beams at him and his heart nearly stops. 

“And what about you?” He blurts out. “I can’t…” He lets the sentence trail off. Her eyes soften and there’s a warmth to her that draws Steve in. 

“I can take care of myself Steve. Always have.” 

“Doesn’t make it easier.” he says. He doesn’t know who’s the first to move but both of them are leaning dangerously close to each other. His hand is cradling the back of her head, fingers tangling in her soft brown hair. 

“Steve. It’s okay to leave me behind.” She whispers, her breath fanning over his lips. 

“Never.” Their lips are about to meet when they hear a loud crash in the house. Darcy bolts upright, dragging Steve with her. Steve could feel all her muscles seizing up at the sound. Steve lowers her hand to wrap her shoulders to be closer to her as the sounds get louder. 

“What the fuck?” Steve asks. 

“Rogers. Lewis.” Sam Wilson comes up to them. “It’s Barnes.” Steve groaned, of course his bestfriend would interrupt something he’s been waiting months to happen. 

“What’s happening?” Darcy stood, brushing grass off her leggings. 

“He’s fighting Barton.” Sam says. Steve rolls his eyes and the three of them try to rescue Barnes from breaking the antiques Thor has in his house but for Steve, the night’s been ruined. 

* * *

It’s the third day of graduation practice when the announcer calls Darcy’s name and she’s nowhere to be found. Steve doesn’t like it, not one bit. 

After, he goes to Bucky. Bucky’s still nursing a few bruises but it doesn’t matter to him now that Natasha’s kissing his booboos better. 

“I just have a bad feeling.” Steve says, eating a burger in the parking lot with Natasha and Bucky. 

“Darcy likes to play hookie. You know that.” Bucky says, mustard on his lip. 

“Yeah but she’s not replying to me either or returning my calls…” Steve starts. Natasha grows pensive, her eyebrows furrowing together. 

“Did you two fight?” She asks. 

“No!” he says, spitting a few bits of tomato in his wake. Natasha raises her arms in surrender. 

“Hey. No need to go on the defensive Steve. I’m sure Darcy has her reasons.” 

“Yeah but… With graduation close and us leaving soon after I just..” Steve sighs, running his hand through his hair. 

“I understand.” Bucky says. “But Darcy has her own problems that she needs to deal with on her own. We both know that.” Steve nods in agreement. 

“Still, I wish…” He doesn’t say anything else. Both Natasha and Bucky know the depths of his feelings for her. 

“Not to be rude or anything.” Natasha starts. 

“Like that’s ever stopped you.” Bucky mutters and Natasha swats his arm. 

“Anyway, maybe, you also need some space from Darcy.” Natasha says. 

“That’s ridiculous.” Steve mutters. 

“Now hear me out.” Natasha puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from walking out. “I’m just saying that, maybe you need to learn how to deal with the fact that you’re leaving her. You know, get used to it.” 

Steve sputters.  _ You’re leaving her. _ Steve thinks and the words swarm his thoughts, making him sick. But he knows, that it’s true. He looks away from Natasha, hates the pity in her eyes. 

“Then shouldn’t I be taking every moment that I have with her?” he says, voice dangerously loud. 

“Let me rephrase that.” Natasha says. “Maybe she’s the one trying to get used to you leaving her.” 

Steve stands, refusing to tolerate Natasha’s words any longer. The thought of Darcy avoiding him is absurd. But he couldn’t keep the dread from rolling his stomach. 

 

* * *

Steve’s heart breaks when she doesn’t see him amongst his toga-ed batchmates. The announcer didn’t even call out her name. It’s as if she has disappeared entirely. Doesn’t help that the school doesn’t even tell them what’s happened, thus letting the rumour mill do its worst. 

_ I heard she’s sent to rehab just like her mother.  _

_ The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.  _

_ Crackhead slut. _

Steve looks to Jane but even she is distraught as he was. Steve doesn’t want to cry as the hurt almost topples him over. 

“Hey, let’s enjoy this. It’s supposed to be our day right?” Bucky says but even he doesn’t have any heart in it. 

When the ceremony is over at his mother has already taken enough pictures to fill two albums, Steve tells them that he’ll catch up with them in the restaurant. His mother, already knowing what’s on his son’s mind, lets him go. Bucky gives him a nod before ushering Natasha to his car.

Steve’s about to knock on Darcy’s door when he hears someone calling over to him. 

“You looking for Lewis?” A man says to him. He’s balding and has a large mole on his upper lip. 

Steve nods his head yes. He doesn’t trust himself to speak. 

“Sorry bud, but they’re gone. Left a few days ago.” He says, sitting down on his porch swings. The man looks him up and down, noticing that he still has his graduation garb. 

“You know why?” he asks, his voice choking. The man shrugs. 

“You know Lizzy Lewis. She was trouble.” 

“How about her daughter? Darcy?” he asks. Again, he shrugs. 

“I don’t know. Either she finally got some sense and ran away or stupid enough to go with her mother. They haven’t been back for days now.” 

“And you didn’t call the police?” He asks, almost growling. But he stops himself, knowing that it’s unfair for the old man. 

“Look, punk. Women like Lizzy, when they run away, they don’t want to be found. I’m sorry.” Steve gives him his thanks and with a heavy heart he goes to the restaurant. 

Funny, how he was the one who ended up being left behind. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello I miss you all. 
> 
> This story can stand on its own but I really want to continue this. Especially with how I ended it. Although, I'm busy right now and I don't know how I can upload chapters anytime soon. 
> 
> Hope you like this. Read and Review!


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